1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to dispensing material from a pressure container having an outlet valve, and more particularly, to a handle assembly for selectively fluidly interconnecting the outlet valve to a nozzle in the handle assembly by means of a handle pivotally connected relative to the pressure container.
2. Description of Related Art
Pressure containers are used for the application of a wide variety of materials to work pieces or the environment. For example, pressure containers are often used in conjunction with both commercial and amateur gardeners to apply pesticides, herbicides, insecticides. Pressure containers are also used in the conjunction with the application of cleaning materials. However, many of these pesticides, herbicides, insecticides and solvents can be toxic to humans and thus require limited contact with humans. Therefore, the mechanism for releasing the material from the pressure container can be critical to maintaining a clean, healthy, and safe work environment.
There are a number of different configurations of conventional sprayers for use with pressure containers. For instance, pistol-shaped or linear shaped handles are popular configurations. In each of these configurations, the direction of the emitted spray is fixed relative to the pressure container. To apply the material as desired, the nozzle (and hence entire pressure container) must be reoriented to redirect the spray. As a consequence, the user may be required to contort their arm or wrist to direct the spray to a particular location, such as near the user's feet or an elevated location. As the entire pressure container, and any remaining contents, must be reoriented, this movement of such weight becomes extremely taxing to the user. Further, holding the arm and wrist in contorted positions can be uncomfortable and extremely tiresome, particularly if the position must be maintained for a period of time. This fatigue and inconvenience are magnified to elderly or arthritic users, who may comprise a large percentage of hobby gardeners. Also, the fatigue may be exacerbated when fluids are emitted from a spray nozzle with significant force.
Further, as user control decreases with increasing fatigue, the application of the material becomes less controlled and hence undesirable contact with the user can increase. Therefore, frequent users can develop serious health problems such as carpal tunnel syndrome as well as conditions associated with over exposure to potentially harmful chemicals.
Therefore, the need exists for an applicator handle assembly that can be comfortably held by a user while the associated spray is directed to a desired location without requiring excessive reorientation of the pressure container. A need also exists for an applicator handle assembly that enables the user to select from a wide range of spray directions without uncomfortable repositioning of the pressure container.